1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an improvement in an electrical connector which has a housing, holding means for engaging with a flat circuit device, such as a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter, referred to as an FPC) or a flexible flat cable assembly (hereinafter, referred to as an FFC) inserted in the housing, so as to hold the same to be prevented from getting out of the housing unwillingly and a plurality of conductive contacts provided for coming into contact with connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device so as to put the flat circuit device in electrical connection with another electrical device, such as a main solid circuit board.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A flat circuit device, such as a relatively small-sized FPC or FFC, used in various kinds of electronic apparatus is often mounted on a main solid circuit board, on which various electrical parts are directly mounted, with an electrical connector which is fixed to and connected electrically with the main solid circuit board. The electrical connector has a plurality of conductive contacts, an end portion of each of which is connected electrically with a conductive circuit pattern portion formed on the main solid circuit board and which are provided for coming into contact with connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device, and is operative to connect electrically, through the conductive contacts, each of the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device with the conductive circuit pattern portion formed on the main solid circuit board.
A first type of previously proposed electrical connector used for mounting a flat circuit device, such as an FPC, on a main solid circuit board, is provided with a housing made of insulator, which is fixed on the main solid circuit board and has an opening through which at least a part of the flat circuit device is inserted into the housing. In the housing, a plurality of conductive contacts are provided to be arranged along the opening provided on the housing. These conductive contacts are operative to come into contact respectively with a plurality of connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device when the flat circuit device is inserted in the housing through the opening provided thereon. The previously proposed electrical connector of the first type is also provided with a conductive shell which covers partially the housing and is grounded to be operative to contribute to adjustment on characteristic impedance of each of the conductive contacts and to shield the conductive contacts in the housing from electromagnetic wave noises coming from the outside. The previously proposed electrical connector of the first type is further provided with an actuator which is provided to be rotatable in regard to the housing so as to engage with each of the conductive contacts arranged in the housing. When the actuator is rotated in a first direction in regard to the housing, an operating portion of each of the conductive contacts is moved by the actuator to put the conductive contact in press-contact with a corresponding one of the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device, and then, when the actuator is rotated in a second direction opposite to the first direction in regard to the housing, the conductive contacts put in press-contact with the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device are released from the press-contact with the connecting terminals. With the conductive contacts put in press-contact with the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device, the flat circuit device is put in electrical connection with the main solid circuit board.
A second type of previously proposed electrical connector used for mounting the flat circuit device on the main solid circuit board is provided with a housing to be fixed on the main solid circuit board, a plurality of conductive contacts and a conductive shell in such a manner as mentioned above but is not provided with an actuator rotatable in regard to the housing. In the previously proposed electrical connector of the second type, when the flat circuit device is inserted into the housing through an opening provided thereon, each of the conductive contacts provided in the housing to be arranged along the opening is automatically put in press-contact with a corresponding one of connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device. That is, the flat circuit device is put in electrical connection with the main solid circuit board by means of only inserting correctly the flat circuit device into the housing through the opening provided thereon.
In the previously proposed electrical connector with or without the actuator rotatable in regard to the housing, when the flat circuit device is inserted into the housing through the opening provided thereon and the conductive contacts provided in the housing are put in press-contact with the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device so that the flat circuit device is put in electrical connection with the main solid circuit board, it is required to prevent the flat circuit device inserted in the housing from getting out of the housing unwillingly. It is a matter of course that it is necessary for the flat circuit device inserted in the housing to be held stably so as not to get out of the housing unwillingly in order to keep the conductive contacts provided in the housing properly in a condition of press-contact with the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device.
There has been also proposed previously an electrical connector belonging to the above mentioned first type having the housing, the conductive contacts, the conductive shell and the actuator, which is provided also with holding means for engaging with a flat circuit device, such as an FPC or an FFC, inserted in the housing so as to hold the same to be prevented from getting out of the housing unwillingly, as shown in, for example, the Japanese patent application published before examination under publication number 2008-52993 (hereinafter, referred to as published patent document 1).
Besides, there has been further proposed previously an electrical connector belonging to the above mentioned second type having the housing, the conductive contact and the conductive shell except the actuator rotatable in regard to the housing, which is provided also with holding means for engaging with a flat circuit device, such as an FPC or an FFC, inserted in the housing so as to hold the same to be prevented from getting out of the housing unwillingly, as shown in, for example, the Japanese patent application published before examination under publication number 2008-192574 (hereinafter, referred to as published patent document 2).
In the electrical connector shown in the published patent document 1, the holding means (a locking portion 11c) is formed in a part of the conductive shell (a shield plate 11) to be able to seesaw with an engaging end portion (a nail portion 11d) curved to the inside of the conductive shell. The holding means shifts its position in response to a movement of the actuator (an actuator 9) provided to be rotatable in regard to the housing (a housing 3).
Then, when the actuator is rotated in a first direction in regard to the housing after the flat circuit device (an FPC 21) is inserted into a receiving space (an FPC receiving space 34) provided in the housing, each of the conductive contacts (first contacts 5 and second contacts 6) provided in the housing is caused by a cam (a cam portion 92 or 93) formed on the actuator to shift its position so as to be put in press-contact with a corresponding one of connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device inserted in the housing and the holding means is caused by a cam (a cam portion 94) formed on the actuator to shift its position so as to cause the engaging end portion of the holding means to engage with an engaging portion (a recess 21a) formed on the flat circuit device. As a result, the flat circuit device inserted in the housing is prevented from getting out of the housing unwillingly.
After that, when the actuator is rotated in a second direction opposite to the first direction in regard to the housing under a condition wherein the engaging end portion of the holding means is put in engagement with the engaging portion formed on the flat circuit device, the cam (the cam portion 94) formed on the actuator allows the holding means to release the engaging end portion of the holding means from the engagement with the engaging portion formed on the flat circuit device. As a result, the flat circuit device is put in a condition to be able to get out of the housing.
Further, in the electrical connector shown in the published patent document 2, the conductive shell (a shell 4) is provided to be rotatable in relation to the housing (a housing body 2) and the holding means (a leg portion 46) in the form of a leaf spring is formed in a part of the conductive shell. The holding means has an engaging projection (44) formed at an end of the holding means to be curved to the inside of the conductive shell.
When the flat circuit device (an FPC) is inserted into the housing through the opening (an opening 21) provided thereon under a condition wherein the conductive shell is positioned to keep lying down on the housing so as to be close in its entirety to the housing, each of the conductive contacts (upper contacts 31 and lower contacts 32) provided in the housing is caused to be put in press-contact with a corresponding one of connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device inserted in the housing and the engaging projection formed on the holding means is caused to engage with an engaging portion (an FPC engaging hole 2) provided on the flat circuit device. As a result, the flat circuit device inserted in the housing is prevented from getting out of the housing unwillingly.
After that, when the conductive shell is rotated to be positioned to keep rising from the housing under a condition wherein the engaging projection formed on the holding means is put in engagement with the engaging portion formed on the flat circuit device, the holding means formed in the conductive shell shifts its position in response to a movement of the conductive shell so as to release the engaging projection provided on the holding means from the engagement with the engaging portion formed on the flat circuit device. As a result, the flat circuit device is put in a condition to be able to get out of the housing.
In each of the electrical connectors thus proposed previously, which has the holding means operative to prevent the flat circuit device inserted in the housing from getting out of the housing unwillingly, the holding means is provided to be operative to shift its position in response to rotational movements of the actuator provided to be rotatable in regard to the housing, or the conductive shell for covering partially the housing is provided to be rotatable in regard to the housing and the holding means is formed in a part of the conductive shell to be operative to prevent the flat circuit device inserted in the housing from getting out of the housing unwillingly.
In the case of the previously proposed electrical connector which has the holding means operative to shift its position in response to the rotational movements of the actuator provided to be rotatable in regard to the housing, it is required that the holding means and the actuator are provided as separate parts independent from each other and this results in problems or disadvantages that the number of constitutive parts of the electrical connector increases undesirably and a production cost of the electrical connector rises disagreeably. Besides, it is necessary, for causing the holding means to engage with or disengage from the flat circuit device inserted in the housing, to rotate the actuator in regard to the housing and this results in undesirable increase in an open space around the electrical connector.
In the case of the previously proposed electrical connector which has the conductive shell provided to be rotatable in regard to the housing and the holding means formed in the part of the conductive shell, since the conductive shell is operative to rotate in regard to the housing, any part of the conductive shell can not be used for fastening the electrical connector to the main solid circuit board so that a separate holding-down member for fastening the electrical connector to the main solid circuit board is required and this results in problems or disadvantages that the number of constitutive parts of the electrical connector increases undesirably and a production cost of the electrical connector rises disagreeably.
Further, in each of the above-mentioned previously proposed electrical connectors, which is provided with the holding means operative to prevent the flat circuit device inserted in the housing from getting out of the housing unwillingly, the holding means, which is put in operation to prevent the flat circuit device inserted in the housing from getting out of the housing unwillingly, assumes a posture which is entirely or almost the same as a posture assumed by the holding means which is not put in operation to prevent the flat circuit device inserted in the housing from getting out of the housing unwillingly or takes up a position which is entirely or almost the same as a position taken up by the holding means which is not put in operation to prevent the flat circuit device inserted in the housing from getting out of the housing unwillingly. Further, the flat circuit device, which is inserted in the housing and prevented by the holding means from getting out of the housing unwillingly, assumes a posture which is entirely or almost the same as a posture assumed by the flat circuit device which is inserted in the housing but not prevented by the holding means from getting out of the housing unwillingly.
This means that, with the above-mentioned previously proposed electrical connector put to practical use, it is very difficult to confirm quickly and accurately by means of visual check or sentient check from the outside of the electrical connector that the flat circuit device inserted in the housing has reached an appropriate position in the housing to be surely prevented by the holding means from getting out of the housing unwillingly. Accordingly, particular additional operations are required for confirming that the flat circuit device inserted in the housing has been put in an appropriate condition to be connected electrically with, for example, a main solid circuit board to which the electrical connector is fixed with electrical connection. This results in problems or disadvantages that the number of steps of work for producing the electrical connector increases and the production cost of the electrical connector rises.